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She snickered. “Maybe. I kind of want to see Braden’s face when you spill the beans.”
Ethan appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked different today with neatly gelled hair and was wearing a pair of jeans and a thin gray sweater that hugged his muscular arms. Very sexy.
“And what are you two talking about?”
Reagan chuckled and let me go. “Your funeral.”
She patted him on the shoulder as she stalked past him. Brows furrowed, he watched her go and then turned back to me. “Do I want to know what she’s talking about?”
I glanced past him into the living room where Reagan and Braden were on the couch, not paying any attention to us. Grabbing his wrist, I pulled him away from the doorway and kissed him. If we were going to tell my family about us, I’d decide later. Right now, I just wanted to focus on being with him for the last day I was in town.
“I’ll tell you later,” I said, whispering against his lips. “I know you just got here, but I’m ready to go back to your place.”
Ethan’s lips pulled back with that sexy smirk of his. “And what do you want to do when we get there?”
I winked at him. “I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”
We said our goodbyes to Reagan and Braden, and they walked with us outside to Ethan’s truck. My excuse for leaving was so that I could grab some of my things from Ethan’s house. In all honesty, itwasthe truth. After the attack, I left everything in my apartment. I didn’t want to step foot in there ever again. It still hurt my heart knowing the last time I saw that place—my solace that had so many fond memories—it was tainted by that psychotic bastard.
I hopped in the backseat to stay hidden . . . just in case. It was Christmas day, so I hoped the paparazzi had better things to do, like spending time with their families. Reagan and Braden lived in a gated neighborhood which was what I wanted. They didn’t have to worry about photographers camping outside their house.
“Braden didn’t seem to care that you were leaving with me,” Ethan said. He glanced at me through the rearview mirror and I smiled.
“It’s probably because he doesn’t think I’d be crazy enough to get with you.”
“Or it could be vice versa.”
We both laughed and it felt good to hear his again. I’d missed the sound while I was gone. He was always so serious in the fighting ring, but there was a fun, caring side to him as well. If there was one thing I enjoyed about being home, it was that I could be myself. There was a certain way I had to be with the Hollywood crowd, and it was exhausting. Did I like wearing fancy dresses and going to parties and awards shows? Of course I did, but sometimes it was lonely. My agent and mother were mostly my dates, except when I went with Jake Parker. He was one of the former costars I dated while filming our movieAll It Takes; it was one of my biggest films. Our relationship didn’t last long; we were too different.
“What are you and Ripp going to do while I’m gone?” I asked, reaching over to rest my hand on his leg. Ethan clasped his hand with mine and brought it to his lips, kissing it gently.
“Who says I’m going to be hanging out with Ripp?”
“Seriously,” I countered. “You’re always with Ripp.”
Chuckling, he squeezed my hand. “Ah, you know, the usual. We’ll be going to clubs every night and getting drunk.”
A spark of jealousy ignited in my gut. It made me wonder if that was what he’d done the past few weeks while I was gone. I didn’t have a response that wasn’t laced with anger, so I clenched my teeth instead. When I tried to let go of Ethan’s hand, he gripped mine tighter.
“I’m kidding, Peyton. I haven’t been out clubbing since our time in Vegas.”
“Really?” I asked, feeling the jealousy ebb away. “Why not?”
We arrived at his house, and he pulled into the garage beside my Audi R8. Once the garage door closed us in, Ethan turned in his seat to face me, grinning playfully.
“Because I didn’t want to. Does that make you feel better? Don’t think I didn’t notice the hostility when you tried to pull away from me.”
I bit my lip. “Sorry. Guess you can say I don’t like the thought of you going partying without me. A lot of stuff can happen when you’re drunk and surrounded by beautiful women. Women who’d do anything to be with you.”
Ethan clutched my chin and leaned forward, his lips warm against mine. “You have nothing to worry about.” He got out of the truck and opened my door. “Besides, I’m the one who should be worried about you always being around your male costars. How many of them have you dated?”
After grabbing my purse, I slid out of his truck. “Not many.”
Ethan froze, his gaze curious. “Please tell me you didn’t get with that fucking douche you starred with inAll It Takes, did you? I saw shit in the tabloids with you two, but I didn’t believe it.”
Cringing, I walked past him to the door. I didn’t want to answer his question. Jake Parker really was an ass once I got to know him.
“You did, didn’t you?” Ethan asked, stepping in front of me to open the door that led into his kitchen.
